'haematopoiesis' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'haematopoiesis', where the Greek root 'haima' meant 'blood' and 'poiein' meant 'to make'.

'haematopoiesis' entered English via New (medical) Latin in the late 19th century from Greek elements; the simplified spelling 'hematopoiesis' (loss of the digraph 'ae') later became common in American English.

Initially, the components referred broadly to 'making blood', and over time the term came to denote the specific biological process 'the formation of blood cells'.